v The Netherlands, 2012 European Championship First Phase Group B

Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv, 13.06.2012

2-1 (2-0)
Gómez 24., 38. / van Persie 73.

After beating Portugal in their opening game, Joachim Löw’s side travelled to the city of Kharkiv in the eastern Ukraine, where they took on their old rivals from the Netherlands. It was just the latest in a growing list of Euro encounters between the two teams, with Germany coming into the game with the slightly worse record of one win, one draw and two defeats – including the horrible last-minute episode at Euro 88.

There was a little pressure on the Mannschaft after Portugal’s last-gasp 3-2 win over Denmark, but a second win on the bounce inspired by an increasingly confident Mario Gómez was enough to put them on the brink of a place in the quarter-finals.